JewettStreet Blog

Spanish Pyrenees, September 10, 2008

Good communication between home exchangers is always important. But when you don’t share a common language with your home exchange partner, communication becomes essential for a successful swap. Don’t hesitate to raise any remaining issues that you might have and leave detailed instructions about your home before the swap begins. To give you an example, I sent a simplified version of our personal Home Exchange Guide (Google translated into Spanish) to the Spanish home exchangers a few weeks before the swap. That gave them enough time to ask further questions.

In return, little posts in English stuck to kitchen cabinets helped us to orient ourselves, when we arrived at their apartment. (It always touches me to find such thoughtful and caring signs left behind to ease the trip of the home exchange guests.)

Despite our careful preparations we still encountered a misunderstanding due to the language barrier at the last minute. The Spanish home exchangers arrived at the train station in Tutzing where we live and picked up our car. In the car, they found a bunch of keys among them car and house key - just as agreed (or so I thought). Our direct neighbors had an additional house key for emergencies…

The Spanish home exchangers arrived after a flight across Europe and a long train ride, only to find out that the neighbor who was supposed to have our house key was not home. Imagine the situation! Luckily, I had informed several of our neighbors of our expected home exchange guests. One of them called us on our mobile – meanwhile we were crossing and enjoying the vast Catalonian landscape on our way to the Pyrenees. It took only a moment to explain that our house key had been there all along.

At last, the way was cleared for a joyful stay of the Spanish home exchangers at our home!

Spanish Pyrenees, September 9, 2008

What seemed trying to push our luck a bit too far not long ago, became a new challenge this early year, when we received a very interesting home exchange offer from Spain. It was composed in Spanish. My husband’s Spanish language skills would have been very usefully now, but as he was unavailable due to a very heavy workload, I could not resort to his wonderful language abilities. My Spanish is literally “nada”, but since I am the one doing our personal home exchange corresponding normally anyway, I decided to try something new.

I did a Google translation of the home exchange invitation. The result was not too good. The translation tool hadn’t recognized some of the words. These words were placed in Spanish within the English translation. The syntax was baffling. However, I was able to understand the overall message. I liked the message and it felt good, but I needed some more reassurance whether I could trust my own judgment under the circumstances.

I sent the email to a friend – a native of Argentina. On the phone, he translated the message word for word for me. His first comment was: “This is a very polite, kind letter”. He only confirmed what had showed through the imperfect Google translation already.

After consulting with my family, I replied favorably to the home exchange offer. I wrote my message in English and added the Spanish Google translation for easier reading. And that is how I kept up my correspondence with the Spanish home exchangers.

A last language hurdle before the home exchange arrival, next...

July 27, 2008

Bavaria is like a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. I must confess, that before I emigrated from the United States to this part of the world 10 years ago, my knowledge about it did not much extend beyond the lederhosen and beer cliché.
What I have come to like here, is the very laid-back lifestyle. It’s no accident Upper Bavaria is called the most Northern Province of Italy - dolce vita with a Bavarian twist.  But there is so much more that makes the land of King Ludwig II a very interesting travel destination. With mountain-side castles that appear as if they must be from fairy tales, Bavaria has a storybook atmosphere.
But don’t let yourself be fooled. This industrious culture mixes the old with the new. Most noticeable in Munich with its thriving economy, rich history, and perhaps most of all, its plethora of museums.
The Alte Pinakothek rivals the Louvre for high-style display. The Deutsche Museum is the most complete scientific and technical museum in the world. No wonder, Monocle Magazine selected Munich the "Most Livable City in the World" in 2007.   

For the fall and holiday season, several attractive home exchange offers  - both short- and long term as well as simultaneous and non-simultaneous - are available.

Bertie and Michael in Tutzing offer their Spacious 3 Bedroom Penthouse Apartment for a non-simultaneous swap for 6 weeks in September and October 2008. The flat comes with a fantastic view to the Bavarian and Austrian Alps and a very private garden. They are open to travel destinations within Europe. For contact and more details on Home-ID 1036

Vincent and Maitri’s Comfortable Duplex is ideal for a family. They live in the quaint town of Weilheim at the footsteps of the Alps, but only 30 min from Munich. Their home is available for a non-simultaneous exchange from mid December 2008 to mid January 2009. The holiday season with its colorful christkindl markets is Bavaria’s most charming season. Don’t forget to bring your skies!
As for dream destinations, they are open to your suggestions. For contact and more details on Home-ID 2051

Another interesting home exchange offer on Lake Starnberg comes from Rebecca and Frank. Check out their Large and Inviting House in Garatshausen. From their own private path you can reach the beach in one minute. Opportunities for countless outdoors activities makes the Lake Starnberg region a top destination for families. Rebecca and Frank can’t wait to try out home exchange. Let’s give them a good start. They are up to simultaneous swaps in Europe during school holidays. For contact and more details on Home-ID 1497

All JewettStreet Listings in Bavaria ...

June 23, 2008

Can you think of any acceptable reason why to cancel an arranged home exchange last minute?  I can think of two: Serious illness or death in the family or of a close person. All others seem to be avoidable with good planning.

It is a very difficult situation when your home exchange partner cancels the trip in the final preparation stages. This just happened to Karen and her husband who own a luxury apartment in Shanghai. As a result, they are now franticly trying to find a place in Dorset and surrounds to make up for their missed home exchange deal. They said they would accept home exchange offers in Southern England and would go as far as Paris.

This is your chance to experience the New York of China! Thank you for forwarding this last minute offer two your interested friends.

May 22, 2008

Did you know that in our monthly newsletter we introduce JewettStreet’s latest listings including pictures and links? The newsletter is a great way to catch up on the brand-new home exchange offers on our network without having to browse through the database. You can simply scroll down the newsletter in a leisurely fashion (or fast, if you prefer!) and click on the offers that are interesting for you. In the listings’ introductions you also find remarks about preferred travel dates and destinations. So, all the important information is right there on the spot.

In addition, we inform you about the latest developments in the home exchange world and tell you how to make the best use of your JewettStreet membership.

Curious?

Go to the member area called My JewettStreet and select My Personal Data. At the bottom of the page, activate the newsletter check box.  

If you are not a JewettStreet member yet, simply register on our main page in order to receive your free newsletter.

February 25, 2008

Today, I received an email from a despaired home exchanger. She addressed a problem inexperienced home swappers often face.
Her home exchange offer included a beautiful large house in an attractive French tourist area. Her travel destination was a particular spot in Scotland this summer. 

She was surprised that nobody had responded to her offer even though she had put her listing up with a large home exchange club. I wrote to her what I have learned myself from very experienced home exchangers: 

"If you plan a home exchange to a particular place (especially, if it is not in a typical tourist area) and you have a restricted travel schedule, try to arrange your home exchange way in advance (like a year). To find and arrange a home exchange just takes time, unless you live in a luxury apartment in Paris.

Your home is lovely and your area a popular tourist destination. It makes for an attractive vacation spot for Europeans and overseas travellers alike. Therefore, it should not be too difficult for you to find an interesting home swap as long as you are not bound to a specific destination.

• I suggest postponing your travel plans to Scotland until that perfect match comes along.
• In the meantime you could try out home exchanges in other areas.
• Most home exchange clubs have a section where you can indicate your preferred travel destinations. I would suggest using that service, typing in your favourite vacation spot in Scotland and “open to offers”. Other home exchangers can then find your home exchange offer more easily.   

One word to home exchange clubs. A club with many listings does increase your changes of finding a good match. Check out their listings in your favourite area as well. Have also a good look at how current a listing is. A good club shows member details on the listing (like date of last update, member since etc.).”

So, dear JewettStreet members and visitors don’t despair if you can’t find that perfect home exchange right away. Try to be open to several travel destinations. Evoke the adventurer in you! With some flexibility and an open mind you can find yourself in places you never dreamed of.

                                                                                            November 30, 2007

Sometimes a situation demands, that you have to travel on the spur of the moment. Unless you have already previous (home exchange) contacts at your travel destination, it is almost impossible to set up a home swap on such a short notice. Building your very own home exchange network in a particular geographical area can help you broadening your opportunities for that next home exchange.

With my older daughter, I stayed at a guest suite of a retirement community in New England last week, where my former mother-in-law recently had moved. What a great place! It had the atmosphere of an elegant large hotel but with a much more personal touch and with very happy inhabitants. In addition, a whole scope of household services was offered to the residents and guests. In their comfortable communal dinning room, Nora’s grandmother introduced us to some of her new friends. When I directed the conversation toward home exchange, it turned out that one of them had a son who was an enthusiastic home exchanger and he lived nearby! It comes at no surprise that we exchanged addresses.

When you know you will return to a particular area repeatedly, you could do even more to increase your chances of finding a local home exchange. Before your trip, get in touch with regional organizations and communities whose activities interest you naturally. A garden lover could contact the local garden society, the passionate golfer the nearest 18-hole golf course and ask them to post your flyer with your home exchange offer. You might not only find some interesting new contacts but with some luck, also your next home exchange!

October 5, 2007

Niamh, a researcher for the Irish RTÉ TV Show Highly Recommended, has asked JewettStreet for help in finding Home Exchangers from Ireland or Home Exchangers with Home Swap experience in Ireland who would like to participate in the show.

Would you like to share your experiences in how you saved a considerable amount of money while having a grand time on your home exchange vacation?

With the help of the studio audience, consumer experts Ben Dunne, Conor Pope and Barbara McCarthy will challenge your deal. If it stands up throughout the investigation and the panel are convinced it should be Highly Recommended, you will win €2000.

It won't be difficult to convince the jury that Home Exchange is a great vacation saver, don't you think?

Highly Recommended will look at a range of issues that impact on all our lives ranging from property, cars, health insurance, weddings and childcare. A fun way to encourage us all to shop around, Highly Recommended puts the everyday under the spotlight, imparting valuable consumer advice along the way."

If you like to participate in Highly Recommended, please contact Ursula at JewettStreet as soon as possible, or contact RTÉ directly at highly.rec(at)gmail.com or phone: ++353 (0)818 270 941 for more details.

June 9, 2007 

It was in the deep of the night when I woke up suddenly. Our two daughters dressed in their night gowns stood silently at my bedside in the top room of the tower. You must understand that to do the trip from the lower floor to the upper part of the tower was quit an undertaking in the dark. Even though we had left the light on in the long, steep staircase it must have been scary for the children to come up all this way. “Mama, we can’t sleep any more”, said my older daughter calmly. “There is a bat flying around in our room making a lot of noise.” With that said my husband got up and went downstairs with the children. I fell back to sleep immediately. The next morning at the breakfast table there was much discussion about the bat, especially, how to get it out of the tower safely.

The next night, we all sat on the children’s king size bed with dimmed lights. We had just finished the bedtime story, when the bat woke up and started to fly around frantically near the ceiling of the room. Isabel Thalia, our younger daughter, sat up in her bed with a “this-is- better-than-any-good-night-time-story” look in her eyes.

With a double-long broomstick my husband tried to guide the bat to one of the open windows. But because of the very tall room the broomstick was not long enough to help the bat find its way out. Meanwhile, Isabel Thalia so mesmerized by the play but very tired, had fallen asleep while still sitting up. Nora, our older daughter, got very worried. How long could a bat survive without any food?

The next day we found a spoon net in the cellar of the tower. That came in very handy when my husband found the bat in the evening. It had flown up through the narrow staircase to the top room. There it clung against a side wall within easy reach. We caught it with the spoon net and let it free on the top of the tower. Long after we could hear her shrieking sound through the fog high above the medieval town.

June 5th, 2007

The tower owner’s response to my question – obviously pointing to the fact, that I could not offer him the same kind of propriety in exchange – is not uncommon in the home exchange scene. Fortunately, most people who are doing home exchange are looking for much more than swapping an equally valued propriety. They want an attractive location. Places near cultural centres are very popular for obvious reasons. But many seek just another type of vacation than what main stream tourism has to offer. Discovering new places off the beaten path and meeting interesting new people from all over the world are much more important to them than to just exchange equally valued proprieties.

Making an effort to meet your home exchange partner in person can make a huge difference. My family has gotten to know outstanding people through home exchange; very knowledgeable and warm hearted individuals from all walks of life. Would it have been possible to meet them under different circumstances considering the geographical distances, the occupational and age differences between the home exchangers? It is most unlikely!

There is a sense of adventure involved and many unexpected surprises when connecting with people through home exchange. Just like with the tower owner.

We have been invited to meet him and his family in Rome this week. However, the distance from the tower to Rome is too far as to make it a comfortable trip for our younger child. With much regret we had to postpone the get-together to a later date in Germany when the Italian family will stay at our home.

“Well”, said the tower owner at the end of our phone conversation, “if we can’t meet in person, you can still watch me on television.” As it it turned out, he is an anchor man for an Italian TV station.

May 31, 2007

The feeling was one of triumph. Finally, after endless driving hours and a planning stage of more than one year, our destination was within reach. With every serpentine the medieval town up on the hill came closer into sight. Our eyes where fixated on one object: the tower. A solitaire, he stood out strong and powerful. We still couldn’t quite believe we would be the residents of this unusual home exchange object for the next two weeks. Find out how we all arranged it, next.

May 26th, 2007

One of the advantages of a non-simultaneous home exchange is the fact that your place needn't be cleaned to perfection before leaving. Of course this also has a draw-back. Think of the day of your return.

We are all packed up, ready to hit the road. Do you have any idea which direction we are headed?

During our trip, we will try to answer your inquiries at the accustomed speed; however, depending on the Internet connections while traveling, our reply might be a bit slower than usual. We apologize for any inconvenience.

May 13th, 2007

In two weeks, my family and I are to set out on our biggest home exchange adventure ever. No agreement forms have changed hands. We barely have an address of the place, not to mention a key. And yet, we are totally convinced of the success of this unusual home exchange. How is this possible? The picture that I gained from our home exchange partner through our correspondence is of someone trustworthy and reliable. You remember home exchange is all about trust!

The object we are exchanging our home for is neither a house nor a boat. But what else could it be? Here is a hint: it is ancient and made out of stone. I'll keep you posted!